


Dream Head

by bleuchees



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: But I don't think it merits an Explicit warning which can signal some dark stuff, Canon Compliant, Fluff, I'm not sure about the rating, M/M, Sexual Content, Since there is explicit sex, So it's Not Rated, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-17
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-10-20 00:58:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10651665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleuchees/pseuds/bleuchees
Summary: A soul mate AU where the only way you can tell they're your soul mate is that you share the same dreams.So of course, one day, Kuroko figures out who his soul mate is...





	Dream Head

**Author's Note:**

> Title from [HOME's Dream Head](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi2B0PFj-OQ), of course

Furihata always made a point of telling everyone his dreams. It was actually fairly annoying; nobody wanted to hear, while trudging through their fifth mile of running, that he’d dreamt about cream puffs eating people or Teppei secretly being a girl all along (that one got him some weird looks). But no one told him to stop.

It was like a defense mechanism, for some people. A way to stave off the anxiety that ran deep beneath the surface in everyone. One would think that the discovery that soul mates existed would have simplified things. But when the only indicator was that you shared dreams, all you could do is tell everyone, and hope someone would say “ _Me too!_ ”

Kuroko had a very limited set of dreams that he could pinpoint as someone else’s. It was difficult, when dreams were so often absurd, and you couldn’t tell what was made up, and what was real. But a long time ago, a woman had come to him in his dreams, again and again and again. Kuroko still didn’t know if they had been nightmares or dreams. Only, he had a habit of waking up crying.

That had been a long time ago, though. Kuroko had long since resigned himself to the fact that he would probably never meet his “soul mate.” That was what he thought.

Kuroko swallowed, his throat tight. His heartbeat felt erratic in his chest. His eyes had to be deceiving him.

“Is there a problem?”

Kuroko turned, flushing involuntarily. “No,” he said, voice trembling just a bit. “Happy birthday.”

Akashi smiled, a bit perplexed, and started herding Kuroko back towards the group.

“Thank you again,” he said smoothly. Had he always been so smooth? Kuroko felt disoriented. Akashi’s hand was on his elbow.

“You…” Kuroko started. _Are you my soul mate?_ It was too embarrassing to say. Kuroko fell quiet under Akashi’s intent gaze. “Never mind,” he said. It would be better to bring it up later, not when everyone was starting to peer over at them.

“Something wrong?” Kise asked, pausing at the bottom of the stairs. There were heading to Akashi’s room.

“I think he got too much sun,” Akashi told him.

“I’m fine,” Kuroko protested, aware the reddening of his cheeks wasn’t helping his case.

“If you could get everyone some cold water, please,” Akashi directed at the servant lingering nearby. The _servant_. It was impossible to ignore Akashi’s wealth while they were surrounded by it. They had just finished visiting his horse that he’d had brought in from Tokyo when he moved. It was ludicrous, by all standards. The servant bowed slightly before going to fetch drinks. Kuroko started to climb the stairs with the others, his head still spinning. Perhaps he did have a touch of heat stroke.

“You alright, man?” Aomine frowned down at him.

“Please don’t mind me,” Kuroko insisted. The stairs were really long. It was unlike Kuroko’s home entirely.

It had already started to dawn on him what this meant. If he was right… Kuroko looked around his surroundings, stomach twisting uneasily. He wasn’t anywhere near Akashi’s social class. Friends in high school was one thing. Soul mates was another.

All seven of them settled in to play cards and eat snacks in Akashi’s room – if you could call it that. Kuroko was fairly certain there were entire apartments smaller than this one bedroom. He stared down at his hand of cards. His heart wouldn’t stop beating. Kuroko fixed his eyes on his cards. Was he afraid?

A loud noise broke his stupor. Aomine was accusing Kise of cheating, he realized numbly. Murasakibara shoved Aomine when he leaned too far into his space, pointing at Kise suspiciously. Aomine bounced back into Shintaro, who snapped at him angrily. Akashi watched on, tolerantly amused. Kuroko didn’t realize he was looking until red eyes met his. He looked away quickly.

“You haven’t said much this evening.” Akashi was speaking to him.

“Oh?” Kuroko said to the vase behind him.

“Perhaps you should lie down,” Akashi suggested. “You don’t seem well.”

“Yeah,” Kuroko agreed. His body felt hot and cold at the same time. “I don’t feel well.”

Akashi’s brow furrowed concernedly – Kuroko never agreed so easily. But, he realized, he didn’t want to be in this group right now. Kuroko wanted to go home. He needed to think about this when he was alone. The lurid colors of the lush carpet and bright décor were starting to make him feel queasy. Kuroko stood up, his head feeling disconnected from his body.

“I think I’ll go to the bathroom for a moment,” he announced, and turned around to figure out where the bathroom was. Walking forward, he felt confident he had gone the right way when Akashi didn’t correct him. When he entered the bathroom, he examined his reflection. He looked pale, shell-shocked. Kuroko forced himself to take deep breaths. It would be fine, he told himself. So Akashi was insanely rich and he was just an ordinary person. It didn’t have to change anything – they would be the same as always. He couldn’t help but feel a sinking disappointment, though. He knew there were some soul mates that remained platonic their whole lives, but he had hoped for more.

It was a ridiculous hope now. Kuroko’s cheeks flushed a blotchy red again. He took some cold water and started to wash his face again. Akashi was extremely rich and extremely handsome, and Kuroko was none of these things. What kind of face would he make when Kuroko told him, anyways? His stomach twisted at the thought. No matter what, he couldn’t envision Akashi looking happy about it.

Kuroko stared at the sink. One would think that having a soul mate would simplify matters. But what was the point if his soul mate was so untouchable? He might as well have fallen for a star.

Not that he had fallen for Akashi, he reminded himself. They could still be friends. Kuroko started to wonder what expectations Akashi had for his soul mate. Had he hoped to marry them? Kuroko continued to breathe slowly. He was calming down slowly.

Still, Kuroko wished he could make an excuse and go home. He opened the bathroom door, resigned to an evening of excruciating self-consciousness. The others had moved on from card playing and were just chatting, chewing on snacks.

“You don’t have a console?” Aomine asked, dismayed.

“There’s no need for me to spend my money on such a superfluous item. A video game is the opposite of helpful to my studies,” Akashi replied evenly.

Aomine grunted, dissatisfied. “What’s the point in being rich if you don’t get to have a console?” he muttered.

Akashi smiled. “There is no point to it,” he said, as if to a child.

Later that night, Kuroko would listen to the soft breathing of the other boys. Combined with ribbed style of the ornate ceiling and the stuffy heat of his blanket, Kuroko got the bizarre impression of having been swallowed by a massive beast.

It was an odd thing, Kuroko thought at basketball practice. “Soul mates” sounded so important, but it was so easy to ignore. He looked across the basketball court, where Riko, Hyuuga, and Kiyoshi were talking easily. As he watched, Hyuuga reached out and touched her elbow lightly. They had started dating a while back.

It was odd, Kuroko thought. “Soul mates” sounded important, but it was still so easy for Hyuuga to ignore Teppei, who smiled as if in pain. Kuroko wondered if he would look the same once Akashi got a girlfriend. Now that was a strange thought.

Kuroko hadn’t been around for the painful moments that lead to this uncomfortable arrangement – but he didn’t need to. For two men to be soul mates… it was a given that they would just be friends. The strength of a bond from friendship could be much stronger than a romantic one, after all. Kuroko couldn’t expect anything from Akashi.

But he also didn’t want to experience those painful moments for himself. He didn’t want to have any conversations, hoping but not expecting, giving but not receiving. Akashi was intelligent enough. One day, he’d figure it out on his own, if he hadn’t already. Kuroko could wait.

The months crawled past. Already, the counselors started to ask them what college they would apply to; what career they would pursue; where they would live in the future. The Winter Cup before third year had already arrived – Kuroko was on the cusp of his final year in high school.

“Win it for me,” Kiyoshi says to Hyuuga wistfully, clinging to his hand. Even though it wasn’t advised, Hyuuga still continued with basketball to the last. He shakes off Kiyoshi’s hand with a nervous laugh. That year, they lose.

As per usual, Kuroko attends the final game – it has become traditional for the Generation of Miracles to gather like this and pick a side. Once again, Akashi was one of the finalists.

“Who are you rooting for?” Aomine asks him. _Win it for me_ echoes in Kuroko’s head. Inexplicably, he flushes a bit.

“Midorima,” he says aloud. Surprisingly, Midorima wins that year. Kuroko tries not to feel like he jinxed it somehow.

That winter, the third years say a teary goodbye. They all promise to keep in touch – it’s so hard to let go of friends – but Kuroko secretly doubts it’ll last. They don’t have the mysterious tie of “soul mates” that Kiyoshi and Hyuuga did over that year of separation. Kiyoshi and Hyuuga, who remain frozen in that unhappy state even through graduation. For the first time, Kuroko seriously wonders what college Akashi is going to. Is it reasonable to expect them to stay in touch forever if Akashi doesn’t even know they’re soul mates?

When they all meet up for his birthday, Kuroko asks him. Kyoto University or its better – he’s interested in their international studies program, since he’ll probably be negotiating with overseas companies. Kuroko’s unease grew.

Perhaps that was why, as the third year started, a vague sense of urgency started to creep into his consciousness. Everyone started to enroll in prep classes and talk about how long they’d play basketball through the end. With some sadness, Kuroko realized his long affair with basketball was drawing to a close. The anxiety began to creep into his unconscious dreams – incoherent mash-ups of written examinations and being told he was failing all of his classes.

In retrospect, those may not have been his dreams at all.

Kuroko didn’t think deeply about it until he finally gave himself away: a dream where he kept running, but he was slowing down eternally, even though it became harder and harder to breathe. Ahead of him, Akashi jogged easily. It took Kuroko the whole day to realize the significance of this – he settled in to sleep at night, thought briefly about the nightmare he’d had before, and it hit him. Akashi knew that his soul mate knew him. A shock went through Kuroko’s body. He lay awake for a long time, his nerves beginning to sing. Should he own up at this point? Akashi hadn’t called all day, so it wasn’t as if he had figured it out suddenly, right? Maybe he already knew. Kuroko didn’t know what to think, but the added anxiety of giving himself away in his dreams ironically fueled their growth. Every night, the dreams became more intense and bizarre. Things he thought about throughout the day scattered themselves throughout his dreams. Every morning, he woke up and tried to remember anything that could give him away – anything that could prove that Akashi knew.

Of course, this could only go on so long. One day, Hyuuga called into practice – he still hadn’t started college, since it wasn’t April yet, so he’d stopped in to hang out with the team again. That night, Kuroko dreamed of that moment again. _Win it for me_. The next morning, he knew.

He knew for about five minutes before doubts started to creep in again. What if Akashi thought it was someone else on Seirin? What if he thought it was Riko, or the new manager she had trained in? Kuroko stared at his phone in trepidation. Surely Akashi would say something.

His phone buzzed, sending a jolt of electricity through his veins. Ignoring his thumping heart, Kuroko reached out for his phone. As he had suspected, there was a text from Akashi.

_I had a strange dream this morning._

Kuroko felt his eyes sting as relief flooded through his system. However little it meant, Akashi had thought of him.

_Me too_ , he typed in shakily.

And that was that.

…Or not quite. On the first day of spring break, Kuroko was sleeping in contentedly when he was rudely woken by the sound of the bell. Peeking out his peephole, he was unnerved to see a suspicious amount of red outside his door.

Taking a moment to steel himself, Kuroko swung the door open with an ease he didn’t feel. Akashi waited on the other side.

“…Good morning,” Kuroko greeted, his voice raspy.

“Good morning,” Akashi replied, and took a confident step in. Kuroko lurched back to avoid a collision. He watched, nonplussed, as Akashi stepped into his entryway, slipping his shoes off at the door. “I hope you don’t mind me stopping in.”

“No, not at all,” Kuroko said, even though he really did mind. He ended up serving tea to Akashi in his kitchen while still in his pajamas, hair sticking out at odd angles.

“Why are you here?” he asked Akashi bluntly. He watched with trepidation as Akashi pulled out a thin binder and slid it on the table.

“I’m sure you would agree we have passed the point at which future planning became necessary,” Akashi started. He flipped open the binder. “After reviewing your latest exam results, obtained from Momoi, it seems that extensive work needs to be done before you’re ready for the university exams.”

Exam _s_ , as if Kuroko would be taking more than one. “Why are we talking about this?” he asked weakly.

Akashi rested his elbows on the table, staring at Kuroko intently above his laced fingers. Kuroko tried not to squirm under his laser-like gaze. “It’s customary for partners to live together,” he said, scanning Kuroko’s expression.

Kuroko felt his face heat up instantly. It was embarrassing to say something like “soul mates” but “partners” felt just as bad. “Uh,” he choked out, desperately hoping Akashi didn’t think he was thinking of impure things. “What does that mean?” he settled on. Surely Akashi didn’t expect him to move to Kyoto.

“I will be attending Tokyo University. Comparing your current knowledge to their curriculum-“ Alarm bells started ringing in Kuroko’s head.

“Excuse me,” he interrupted. “Possibly could you mean… that I also…” he trailed off at Akashi’s look. “Toudai is utterly impossible for someone like me,” he asserted quickly.

“Of course, I have alternate universities prepared in case of that eventuality,” Akashi said smoothly, flipping a page in the Binder of Doom. “Nonetheless, we will be preparing as if you will attend TouDai.”

A dark future of cramming loomed before Kuroko’s eyes. “That’s really…” he was a bit speechless at this point. So much for a happy spring break.

“Anyways,” Akashi said with a touch of irritation, “I’ve already laid out an acceptable curriculum for you. I’ll be keeping track of your progress,” he sent a menacing look towards Kuroko. It glided effortlessly off the shell of numb disbelief that had enveloped Kuroko. “I believe it’s necessary to start immediately, since you are currently behind where you should be,” Akashi continued. He flipped a couple more pages, and opened the binder with a snap. Carefully pulling out the first page, he placed it on the table. “Now,” he said. “Let’s start with English.”

By the time Akashi left that afternoon, Kuroko was dizzy with the amount of information that had been crammed in. Akashi was good at explaining things clearly and concisely – but that just meant he had more time to cover more material. Kuroko trudged to the local basketball court, ready to start his practice for the day. Surely Akashi didn’t expect him to really remember all of that?

Kuroko’s mind kept turning over his situation as he practiced dribbling at the nearby basketball court. Akashi was serious about them staying together; that much was clear. But they hadn’t even started yet and already the bar was so high for Kuroko. It felt, in some ways, like his worst fears coming to fruition: Akashi would expect him to keep up, somehow, and Kuroko would keep failing, until one day they just gave up. As the sun sank lower in the sky, Kuroko’s mood sank with it.

Akashi was back the next day.

This time, Kuroko went to the trouble of getting dressed and combing his hair before answering the door. He wasn’t suffering through another arduous lesson in his underwear. Akashi didn’t comment on the wait when Kuroko opened the door, so he felt justified – but that feeling didn’t last long. The first thing Akashi did was pull a quiz out of his binder – which seemed to have grown a concerning amount since yesterday – and place the quiz on the table.

Kuroko accepted it with a sigh. It was on the material from yesterday – he took the pencil Akashi offered and started filling out the answers tiredly. It seemed his whole spring break would be taken up with tutoring. He handed the paper back to Akashi, who hummed ambivalently.

“You seem to understand the present progressive fairly well, but you’re making small mistakes here,” he pointed with the pencil, “and here.” Kuroko listened intently as Akashi launched into another long explanation, already writing out more translations for Kuroko to practice. They got a couple hours into this process before Kuroko felt comfortable enough to ask: “Are you sure you have the time for this?”

Akashi looked at him curiously.

“Don’t you have your own studies, and a basketball team to lead, and student council to president…”

“I can manage my own time just fine, thank you,” Akashi rebutted. Kuroko bit his tongue, feeling dissatisfied. “Besides, those things will be over soon. I would be remiss if I didn’t invest in my future, as well.”

Kuroko stared down at his paper. Questions flooded his tongue, bitter and heavy, but he didn’t want to be rebuffed again like a child. “I understand,” he murmured.

The rest of the day passed in a strained manner. That night, Kuroko ran almost twice as long as usual, trying to work out the tightness in his chest that wouldn’t go.

As such, he was so tired the next morning he didn’t bother combing his hair, and greeted Akashi with a yawn. The atmosphere became even worse as Kuroko kept responding in short, clipped sentences. The fact of the matter was that he didn’t know what to say to Akashi when they were alone. There were always other people around to fill the gaps of silence. And Kuroko was uncomfortably aware of the way he was being treated – like a pet that needed to be trained to do flips. At the same time, however, there was nothing to complain about. Akashi was being incredibly kind to tutor Kuroko like this.

When it came Akashi’s usual time to leave that afternoon, he lingered, hanging by the front door instead of walking away quickly as he had before.

“Don’t you have a train to catch?” Kuroko asked concernedly. He assumed that Akashi was staying at his house in Tokyo.

“No. My ride is coming here,” Akashi answered. His gaze clung to Kuroko, uncomfortable and heavy.

“Well…” Kuroko hesitated, looking for an excuse to go back in his house. It felt rude not to wait with  Akashi.

“You,” Akashi paused, showing rare hesitation. “You do want to live together, don’t you?”

Kuroko blinked in surprise. “Of course,” he said, before his reservations could catch up with him. Akashi relaxed a bit, his shoulders dropping slightly. Some of the tightness in Kuroko’s chest eased as he realized Akashi had been worried.

“Of course,” Akashi repeated more firmly to himself. Kuroko shuffled a bit, feeling awkward now as they waited for Akashi’s ride. They didn’t have long to wait, however – a familiar squeaking soon reached Kuroko’s ears. With muted horror, Kuroko watched as Takao pulled up with Midorima in the wagon, and Akashi climbed in.

“Nice day huh” Takao panted, stalling so he could have a brief respite from cycling.

“Yes,” Kuroko responded, pointedly avoiding Midorima’s gaze. “It’s nice weather.”

He watched as the wagon slowly pulled away along with its two inhabitants. _Everyone in the Generation of Miracles must know_ , he realized. No wonder Momoi hadn’t contacted him to go on a “date.” Kuroko sat down on the ground, pressing cool hands to overheated cheeks. He couldn’t say why he expected that they would keep it a secret that they were soul mates. It left a tingling sensation in his chest – Momoi hadn’t contacted him because, at least in some capacity, he was _taken_.

Kuroko was in a much better mood the next day, and Akashi seemed to sense it. Slowly, the tension drained from their interactions over the week, until they reached the last day and Kuroko realized that he would miss these tutoring sessions, hellish as they were. Even though it felt like he made nothing but mistakes sometimes, Akashi told him he was improving, and left behind the binder and a hefty pile of exam prep materials. Kuroko would be needing them.

From that point, the year started to speed up. Between the intensive cramming that Akashi assigned him every day and preparing for the Inter High, Kuroko doesn’t have a second of free time that semester. Inter High passes in a whirlwind – Seirin manages to qualify for the Winter Cup, though they lose to Kaijo.

“I know this is a lot to ask…” Kuroko’s throat tightened as Akashi reached out to brush a hand over his, staring him in the eye. “but could you, for me…”

Akashi’s gaze pinned Kuroko like a butterfly on display. He thought once more of Kiyoshi grasping Hyuuga’s hand, being brushed off so easily.

“Okay,” Kuroko murmured.

Kuroko didn’t participate in the Winter Cup.

He still went to watch the last match, though, along with the rest of the Generation of Miracles.

“It’s odd,” Kise said. “I never pictured you dropping basketball for anything.”

Kuroko hadn’t, either. But as he watched the figures playing below, he doubted he would regret his decision. Better to find something he treasured more than basketball than cling to basketball and lose it in the end, anyways. Kuroko said goodbye to the professional basketball court that day with hope in his heart.

Every day after that is cramming. A thick cloud of anxiety permeates Kuroko’s entire body as the date of the first exam approaches. Each day is filled with incessant quizzing – Akashi had spent an entire year preparing him for this. Once again, his dreams bloom into nightmarish landscapes of paper tests and red pen searing through his mistakes. With the anxiety of exams a constant pressure in his mind, Kuroko must forget to take care of himself at some point. He wakes up, sweaty, from incoherent impressions of needy touch and pleasure to find himself hard. It’s not the first time this has happened, though it is the first time he thinks of Akashi, somewhere else and just as hard and wanting. Kuroko buries his face in his elbow. Even in the privacy of his own room, he’s embarrassed. Even so, he rubs at the erection between his legs, imagining Akashi doing the same. He sneaks a hand under the elastic of his boxers and strokes his heated flesh. Kuroko imagines how Akashi would do it – surely he wouldn’t be shy like Kuroko, snuggling into his covers and muffling his sighs of pleasures. Akashi would lean back against his headboard, sliding his underwear off and stroking himself shamelessly—Kuroko’s hand gave a little jerk as he came, hot semen spilling into his grip. He sat there for a moment, allowing his breathing to slow and for shame to sink in. Akashi was a friend. It wasn’t right to think that way about him, but Kuroko couldn’t help the appreciate twitch of his cock when the image came back to him. He got up slowly, plodding to the bathroom to clean himself off. It’s not like it mattered. No one would ever know but him. Still, when Akashi called later that day, Kuroko had to quash the irrational feeling that somehow he knew. And he also had to quash the interested tingling that started deep in his groin as Akashi’s velvet voice washed over him. Just this much was enough. It had to be.

The day of the exam, Kuroko’s heart feels like it’s about to crack his ribs, it’s beating so hard. Doubts start to creep in – what if he fails the test? What if he has to take a gap year? Would Akashi wait for him? He ends up calling Akashi with an inconsequential question about the Warring States Period just to hear the sound of his voice.

“I know you can do it,” Akashi said at the end of the call. He sounded confident. Kuroko clung to that confidence as he entered the testing hall, hands shaking slightly and Midorima’s pencil in hand, just in case. He ends up using more than he’d like to admit. Later that night, he and Akashi went over each of the questions over the phone at Akashi’s insistence. Kuroko was heartened to see he did really well. Akashi congratulated him (even though he certainly did better). Kuroko slept well that night. The second day of examination was tougher – here, the focus was less on the humanities and more on the sciences. Kuroko used the pencil a lot more that time, and when they went over his results that night they were a bit less impressive, but he was still doing well. Still, he had the university-specific exams to go through. By that point, Kuroko’s nerves had dimmed. He went through the tests as if by rote, and received his acceptance letter a few weeks later. He stared at it numbly. _Truly, Akashi can accomplish anything he sets his mind to_ , Kuroko thought incredulously. They’re going to Toudai.

The apartment they moved into was large – very large by Kuroko’s standards, small by Akashi’s. They each got their own bedroom, and shared the kitchen space and bathroom. The kitchen opened onto a small balcony, and overall Kuroko was very happy with it.

The first morning they spent there, Akashi came out to the kitchen to see Kuroko drinking his coffee there, and broke out a rare, genuine smile. Then their academic lives started. It wasn’t unexpected, but they both gravitated toward different groups. Akashi headed straight for student government, and Kuroko hung out with the other suckers who couldn’t believe they had managed to get in. Akashi attended board meetings, and Kuroko spent his nights at drinking parties. Oddly, even though they had grown closer in distance, it felt like they were quickly diverging everywhere else. The glue of basketball was gone.

Along with it, Kuroko’s confidence slowly disappeared. The entire past year, Akashi had been contacting him daily to make sure they would stay together after high school. Now that they had moved in, it became disappointingly apparent that was all he had been aiming for. Once again, Kuroko reminded himself that male soul mates often ended up just friends. He still felt a bitterness lingering, though.

 It was another uneventful Friday night when things began to change again. An upperclassman had invited him to party, and while he wasn’t particularly excited to go, there was also nothing to in the apartment. He didn’t want to spend another evening mutually ignoring Akashi as they studied, so he headed out to the address the guy gave him. Obnoxious music competed with the raucous laughter of inebriated students. Practically every drink was alcoholic, and it wasn’t long before his head was beginning to swim. He switched to the punch – too late, it seemed, as his footing became more and more unsteady over the night. He joined the karaoke group, laughing along at silly renditions of pop songs and snacking on instant food. It was nice to let loose every now and again, he thought, though confusingly he seemed to be getting drunker. A few hours in, he spotted someone pouring liquor into the punch, though he couldn’t remember why it mattered. He was giggling into the shoulder of the guy next to him, his nose buried in clothing that smelled like laundry detergent and beer. The guy reached over and ruffled his hair, and Kuroko thought about having sex with him. Feeling put off by that thought, he stumbled out of the room to find the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face, and feeling slightly sobered, belatedly remembered the phone in his pocket. He winced at the time – it was in the AM hours already – and winced harder at the missed calls from Akashi. He hadn’t thought he would be staying out so late, so he hadn’t thought to warn him. Kuroko stumbled to the front door, and out. He needed to get home before he did something he would regret.

The night air was humid and sweltering; Kuroko wanted to take a shower. All the punch he’d drunk swished uncertainly in his belly. He was beginning to regret drinking so much. He almost fell asleep on the train, and had to stand up to make sure he didn’t sleep through his stop, but every time the train turned he fell over and had to stagger into a standing position. He probably could have just texted Akashi and spent the night at the guy’s house, he realized. Too late now.

By the time he got all the way home, he felt more sober – or at least wake. He still fumbled with his keys outside the apartment, and Akashi ended up opening the door, suppressed anger making his movements jerky.

“Hello,” Kuroko said sheepishly.

“Is this what you spent a year studying for?” Akashi scolded, already in lecture mode. “At least text me when you’re staying out late. I didn’t know what happened to you.”

“Sorry about that,” Kuroko muttered, taking an unsteady step forward and tripping. Akashi caught him easily, sighing in irritation, and started to half-carry him to his room. Kuroko leaned into him, feeling a familiar stirring deep in his belly. Akashi smelled _very_ good.

“Can you take care of yourself from here?” Akashi asked, starting to disentangle himself as they reached Kuroko’s bed.

“No,” Kuroko grunted, clinging to Akashi stubbornly.

“Just lay down,” Akashi instructed, trying to push him onto the bed. Kuroko kept one arm around Akashi’s neck, though, dragging him down with him until they were both half-lying on the bed, Akashi propping himself up with one elbow to keep from crushing him. Akashi reached around behind his head, and with an iron grip he pulled off Kuroko’s arm and pinned it to the bed beside his head. “Go to bed,” he said forcefully, a little out of breath.

Kuroko looked up at him, from his slanted eyes to his slightly open mouth. “Do you want me?” he asked, burning with desire and shame.

“What?” Akashi asked.

Kuroko arched his back, lifting his hips until they pressed into Akashi’s. For half a second, they lay there as if suspended in time. Then Akashi drove his hips down, eliciting a breathy moan from Kuroko as their cocks rubbed together through fabric.

Akashi’s thumb traced Kuroko’s wrist where he still gripped it.

“You’re really something,” he said breathlessly, staring down at Kuroko’s flushed face. For a moment, Kuroko thought Akashi might stay, fire racing through his veins at the thought. But Akashi slowly relinquished him, stepping back from the bed. “Go to bed,” he repeated finally, and left the room. Kuroko rolled over, pulling his covers over him, and fell asleep there.

The next morning, Kuroko woke up to a splitting headache and an awful taste in his mouth. Trudging to the bathroom, he quickly stripped and showered, pausing to brush his teeth before leaving. Stepping out of the bathroom in his towel, Kuroko caught Akashi’s eye where he was reading in the living room space and flushed. Memories of last night flashed before his eyes as he dressed quickly. A tight excitement was growing deep in his belly – if Akashi had reacted like that last night, then surely that meant—

Kuroko stepped into the living room area, feeling unusually shy. Akashi didn’t look up from his book, so Kuroko cautiously stepped to the coffee maker, pouring himself a cup. It was already noon, but Kuroko was still feeling drained from his drinking last night. Hesitantly, Kuroko settled into a chair across from Akashi with his cup. After a moment, Akashi’s eyes flicked up to him, startlingly red and piercing as always. Kuroko felt his stomach leap a bit.

“Good morning,” he said.

“Good morning,” Akashi replied, turning a page of his book. Kuroko waited expectantly. When it seemed clear that Akashi wasn’t broaching the subject, Kuroko determined it was up to him to start the conversation.

“No lecture about last night?” Kuroko immediately regretted his opening statement as Akashi’s eyes narrowed at him, his mouth already opening as he put his book aside.

“I do, in fact, have a few words to say about last night,” Akashi started. “For instance, when you disappear into the night until the hours of the morning, perhaps you should leave a note.” Kuroko suppressed a sigh; now Akashi was in his stride. “On a second note, I could comment on what exactly you were doing in the hours of the morning. Whatever your opinion on youthful indiscretions—“

“Because you’re the one to be lecturing me on indiscretions,” Kuroko interjected, then took a large swallow of his coffee to keep himself from talking. They both took a moment to remember the previous night.

“Yes, well,” Akashi said less heatedly. “That was your indiscretion as well.”

Kuroko flushed. He really had been drunk last night to act that way – but at least now it was in the open. Staring into his coffee mug, Kuroko said, “I hope you don’t regret it too much.” His face heated again. He was too nervous to look up at Akashi.

“No.” Kuroko looked up – Akashi was gazing at him with a soft expression.

“So I was thinking,” Kuroko continued, still jittery, “that maybe sometime we could go see a movie together sometime?”

“That would be nice,” Akashi replied, his smile growing.

“Yeah,” Kuroko said breathlessly, feeling like he’d just run a mile.

When the time for the date came, Kuroko dithered in front of his closet for a full five minutes before remembering he could just peek out at Akashi to see what he was wearing. Just ordinary clothes – a shirt and jeans. Kuroko took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. He stepped out of his room.

Akashi looked up and smiled. “You look nice,” he said.

“You always look nice,” Kuroko said, feeling as if his head had detached and floated up to the ceiling.

“Let’s go,” Akashi suggested.

The movie they were watching was a thriller, and not a very good one at that. Kuroko spent the whole movie sneaking glances at Akashi from the corner of his eye. Afterward, they shared some dry comments over its plot holes and went to get a meal. Overall, if he had been hanging out with a friend, Kuroko would have called it a good time. But he couldn’t help feeling disappointed that night when he went to bed without so much as a kiss.

That wasn’t the only time, either – they went to the arcade together the next week, and went shopping together after that. Kuroko was beginning to wonder why Akashi hadn’t made a move. Finally, the perfect opportunity came up: a summer festival was coming up. It was the perfect set-up; the ultimate shoujo manga moment where they could kiss under the fireworks.

They both wore a kimono – Akashi in a red one with a large golden dragon embroidered on it, Kuroko in a more modest pattern of blue and silver. It was fun to walk around and play the festival games, like catching gold fish and shooting games. They had done this, a long time ago, though the significance was different now. Akashi hung back and watched Kuroko play the games – if he really wanted anything, Akashi could no doubt get it, but it was more about the games. Kuroko did ask for a couple gold fish, though. They would look nice in the apartment, and secretly he didn’t want to walk away without receiving anything from Akashi. They strolled towards the field for viewing fireworks leisurely, Kuroko still nibbling on a crepe. He felt light and happy. He glanced over at Akashi, who was carefully holding the fish, and glanced down at his free hand before looking away, flushing at the thought. Akashi wouldn’t want to hold his hand in public.

Nerves started to tingle in Kuroko’s fingertips as it came time for the fireworks display to start. He sidled up closer to Akashi, his heart thumping. Surely Akashi would get it now. The first of the fireworks shot up, blasting a clear trail across the sky before exploding into a thousand shards of light. Kuroko eyed Akashi out the corner of his eye. He thought he looked really pretty under the light of the fireworks, noble and delicate. Too quickly, the fireworks ended, and Kuroko realized he’d been staring at Akashi the whole time. Akashi turned to look at him, his mouth opening to say something. The moment had passed, and they still hadn’t kissed. Fingers shaking with nerves, heart exploding, Kuroko lurched upwards to press his mouth to Akashi’s. After a moment of surprise, Akashi pushed back down into him, lips moving softly. Kuroko’s eyes slid closed as he focused on the sensation – from the texture of Akashi’s lips to the painful squeezing of his heart.

Slowly, they pulled apart. Kuroko was pleased to see Akashi’s cheeks flushed, his mouth pink from kissing. As they walked home, he watched the shy way Akashi turned to him, eyes lowered to his kimono. It occurred to him that Akashi had probably never been in a relationship at all before – that had been his first kiss. Kuroko trotted forward, catching Akashi’s hand in his own gently. At least for a while, he would have to take the lead.

From there, things were more straight-forward. If Kuroko wanted the relationship to progress, he could just push a bit to see what Akashi would let him get away with. At the end of a movie, he could stretch up on his tiptoes and smear kisses across Akashi’s jaw in the dark theater. Late at night, he could sneak into Akashi’s bed, and cradle his head as he kissed him deeply. He could guide Akashi’s hand to the zipper on his pants, and lean back as Akashi started to stroke him, his chest heaving with arousal.

With that in mind, Kuroko was aware there was one big thing they had yet to do. He planned it out carefully, searching on the internet for information and making one embarrassing trip to the pharmacy. He waited for a Friday, when he knew Akashi would be heading straight home from his last class, and took a shower, carefully cleaning himself out. He dried off quickly, donning a bathrobe and waiting in Akashi’s bed with a bottle of lube. He’d thought out every step of it, but he still felt incredibly nervous. A thin layer of sweat kept appearing at his temples, though his hands were clammy. This was a moment where it was absolutely crucial that Akashi be able to get it up, and Kuroko was painfully aware that he was as plain as they came. But it was something he really wanted. He still had plenty of time before Akashi arrived home, though. Kuroko gently poured a bit of lube on his hand, and started working himself open, hardening despite his embarrassment. His face heated with a fiery blush, which slowly spread out to the tips of his ears and down to his shoulders and chest. He leaned back, burying his face into Akashi’s blankets, inhaling his scent. Spikes of pleasure shot up from his groin as he brushed against his cock, working himself open. He still hadn’t found his prostate but the sheer lewdness of the act was fueling his pleasure.

From the front of the apartment, Kuroko heard the front door click. Straightening his robe slightly, Kuroko adjusted his throbbing cock and waited for Akashi to show up, heart pounding. In the other room, he heard rustling for a few moments. Akashi stepped into the doorway, freezing at the sight of him.

“Um,” Kuroko’s voice cracked, embarrassingly breathy, “Welcome back.”

Akashi dropped his bag, eyes fixed on Kuroko. He stepped forward, laying a hand just above Kuroko’s knee where his bathrobe had slipped. He slid his hand up the inside of Kuroko’s thigh, pushing aside the robe and sending frissons of pleasure to Kuroko’s cock.

“You did this for me?” he asked, staring at Kuroko’s erect cock and worked-open hole. He slipped his hands in Kuroko’s ass, testing how loose it was.

Kuroko hummed incoherently. It felt completely different to have Akashi touching him there from when he did it himself. His entire body felt both hot and cold – he’d be surprised if he wasn’t blushing all over.

Akashi started to work his fingers in and out slowly, watching as Kuroko writhed in time with push of his fingers. Kuroko thought he might go crazy being teased like this; he reached out for Akashi’s pants, unbuckling and unzipping them. Akashi’s erection strained against the material of his boxers, a wet spot forming at the tip of his cock.

“Please,” Kuroko breathed, staring into Akashi’s eyes.

Akashi’s expression softened. “Of course,” he said, and leaned down to press a hard kiss into Kuroko’s mouth, his tongue probing the wet heat of Kuroko’s mouth as he pulled his cock free from his boxers and rubbed lube over it, the wet sound making Kuroko’s cock twitch. At long last, he put the tip of his cock to Kuroko’s entrance and started to push in steadily. Kuroko pulled away from the kiss, overwhelmed by all the stimulation, but Akashi just moved to his neck, where he started planting rough kisses, sucking and biting his way down. Kuroko couldn’t help but focus on the immense pressure where Akashi’s cock was pushing into him. Experimentally, Kuroko flexed, and Akashi gasped above him before thrusting in more quickly. A strangled moan escaped Kuroko as Akashi bottomed out, stretching him with the entire length of his cock. Akashi started to move in and out, his entire body rocking over Kuroko’s as he thrust in again and again. Kuroko started to lightly pant; he didn’t have any leverage to move in this position, so all he could do was lie back and take it as Akashi started to pound into him. Arching into the sheets beneath him, he felt the last of his anxiety slip away to be replaced by relief. Akashi grabbed his thigh, hitching his leg up as he got a better angle, and Kuroko twitched violently as Akashi hit a spot in him that made him see white. Moaning in earnest, Kuroko felt as Akashi’s pace quickened, becoming more and more frantic. They were both approaching the edge. Akashi came first, warm semen filling Kuroko. He took a moment to recover, chest heaving, before quickly stroking Kuroko into orgasm as well. Collapsing beside each other, they lay there for a while just appreciating the afterglow.

Kuroko’s eyes started to sting as overwhelming relief took over him.

“I was so worried that you wouldn’t want me that way, for all this time,” he confessed, the endorphins making him bold.

Akashi turned to look at him. Kuroko noticed, irrelevantly, how good he looked like this: a thin layer of sweat quickly evaporating from his chest, making his short hair spiky at the temples. Akashi always looked so good to Kuroko.

“I wasn’t the one,” Akashi said lazily, “who hid the fact that we were soul mates, and then made you travel 8 hours on the train every other weekend to make sure I was actually studying so we could live together, and then went off to every other party once we did live together to flirt with girls.”

“I object to that analysis.” Kuroko paused, considering it. “When did I ever flirt with girls?”

“You smelled like perfume when you came back from that party,” Akashi muttered.

Maybe Kuroko had sat next to one of those girls, and it had rubbed off on him.

“That’s irrelevant,” Kuroko defended. “You’re handsome and intelligent, and I’m just—“

“Looking incredibly sexy right now,” Akashi murmured, already pulling him in again. “I’m not done with you yet.”

Later, Kuroko would ask Akashi about his company – about his father – about the expectations for him to produce an heir to carry on the Akashi legacy.

“I just won’t do it,” Akashi replied simply. Kuroko didn’t think it was that simple, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. As long as they were resolved to stay together, they’d work it out. It wasn’t until a few years later, at a high school reunion, that Kuroko would think of that moment between Hyuuga and Kiyoshi again. He wondered where they were – if they had ever worked things out between them. Once, Kiyoshi had been like an older brother to him. He’d like to reconnect. Catching Kagami’s eye across the room, Kuroko made his way toward him, pulling his lover along hand-in-hand. He’d like to show them what they gave him the courage to do.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought this would be a little 2K thing... it grew a bit haha. I'm honestly very tempted to write a second fic for Kiyoshi and Hyuuga because my rare pair does NOT have enough fics, i searched their whole damn tag, so if you also ship my rare pair, lemme know ;) we can bond ;) and i'll write that fic ;)  
> Anyways, thanks for reading, be sure to let me know what you think, whether it's good or bad! Authors can't grow without criticism, after all.


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